Proof that life’s plan is bigger than our own
My life, like that of many others, has been filled with countless tough decisions to make, quests for meaningful answers, and punches to the face that make the journey even more challenging.
This past year, I was reminded once again that life’s plan is bigger than our own, and to always have faith in ourselves, our relationships, and our intuition.
Here’s what happened in the last 12 months.
For those that know me, know I was pursuing a startup technology company called Mesh. For more on Mesh, click here.
We spent slightly less than two years building multiple iterations of Mesh with a development team composed of two University professors. In that time, we built a pipeline of potential customers through conferences, direct sales, and digital marketing, but the product had yet to be released into the wild.
After years of fighting our way into Miami University, we finally had an opportunity to pilot Mesh with a small sample of 80 users in March 2018.
In that pilot, our technology failed. Not the concept, the technology. The Mesh tech stack was archaic — it didn’t have online/offline handling, didn’t have persistence handling, it didn’t scale well across devices, and it couldn’t handle an abundance of messages happening at the same time.
While that was happening, our team was going through a transition. We began working with a consultant, took on new investment, and the company’s culture was headed down a treacherous path. People start to smell money and the sharks begin to frenzy regardless of the opportunity costs.
As all of these factors converged, I chose to protect myself and withdraw from the situation. I was not earning any income and we were looking at at least another year of uncertain product development. The team was headed down the wrong path and I saw red flags. Without any control, I realized I have a long life ahead and pulled myself out.
Through the initial phases of starting Mesh, I accumulated a variety of technical skills and knowledge that I could leverage when finding a new job — copywriting, product writing, UI/UX design, product marketing, strategy, operations, digital marketing, product management, and more. Unfortunately, having a variety of options and paths only makes decisions harder.
So, I chose to spend time in Cleveland with a small marketing agency with whom I had already worked in a freelance capacity and built up great trust.
Although I was happy with this decision in the short term, I knew it was not a long term option for me. It simply was not the field I wanted to be in, and I was only leveraging a small fraction of what I know and am interested in learning.
As my patience for the job began to diminish, I took the initiative to seek out new opportunities. In November 2018, I received an opportunity to work with one of the largest angel investor networks out of San Francisco. It was a great opportunity far closer to the world I wanted to involve myself with, but I did not have a 100% positive feeling about it.
I ended up declining the opportunity and focusing on my current company for the time being. Then, three weeks later, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I received a phone call from my old Mesh business partner and friend, Tsavo.
Tsavo began to brief me on some events that had unfolded with the company since my departure — some good, some bad — but for the most part, things were in a good place. Detrimental personalities had been eliminated, partnership agreements with Miami had been executed, modern tech architecture and technologies were being used, and the product was on the verge of entering beta.
I asked Tsavo what he wanted from me. He said, “We need you back.”
It’s like a sappy rom-com. Love you, Tsavo.
Older, wiser, and more experienced, I had a checklist of items that had to be fulfilled in order for me to say yes. Some people had to be gone, the technology had to be up-to-par, visions had to be aligned, leadership had to be clearly identified, and so on and so forth.
All-in-all, every box was checked, and even better, I was back on track.
Proof that life’s plan is bigger than our own.
Today, I am back in my full capacity as Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Mesh Intelligent Communication Inc. The company currently has a strategic partnership with Miami University (OH) and our product is in pilots with over 150 users with plans for expansions this fall. Beyond that, we have an agreement in place with Google to oversee our technology development to ensure we are stable, secure, and scalable.
Last Tuesday, March 19th, I officially moved to Cincinnati, OH to be closer to my team and execute our shared vision. For those who know Mount Adams, that’s where I am.
Our big initiative in 2019, in addition to product development and user adoption, is large-scale fundraising. Consequently, if you are or know someone interested in joining us on our mission, let’s chat. Now’s the time.
Proof that life’s plan is bigger than our own.
To learn more about Mesh, click here. To see how Mesh plays into the trends of Higher Education, click here. To check out our website, click here. Want to learn more? Comment on the post or reach out to me directly if you have my contact info.
Proof that life’s plan is bigger than our own
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